The Government has assured shea nut industry players that it remains committed to improving the sector for the benefit of the country.
Mr. Kenneth Wujangi, the deputy chief of staff in charge of operations at the office of the president, disclosed this in Tamale during Friday’s launch of the Sustainable Shea Initiative-Global Shea Alliance (SSI-GSA) project.
The shea industry, according to government, is robust leading to an increase in exports in the last decades, with value addition also increasing tremendously within the last five years. Mr. Wujangi should know; he has worked in the shea industry for well over 25 years.
Five large shea processing factories, government said, are currently operating in the country in addition to what it said was tremendous work currently going on.
The Government, Mr. Wujangi said, has been active and supportive of the shea industry in the country by committing resources for the sector. Two new factories, the deputy chief of staff said, will be built in the Upper East and Upper West Regions in addition to one at Bupei in the central Gonja district of the northern region.
Mr. Wujangi commended the GSA and USAID for their joint efforts to help government address two main major challenges confronting the shea sector such as women’s empowerment and the protection of natural resources.
These challenges, Mr. Wujangi said, have thwarted the development of the shea industry. The growing shea industry, Mr. Wujangi noted, has great opportunities for economic empowerment in Ghana and in sub-Saharan Africa.